John Barrowman has become one of the nation's biggest cult icons thanks to his role as Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and spinoff show Torchwood. A jack of all trades, he's also a seasoned theatre performer and established musician, with a string of studio albums under his belt. With the third series of Torchwood looming on the horizon and his Saturday evening show Tonight's The Night debuting this weekend, there's never been a better time to uncover ten tantalising titbits about everyone's favourite omnisexual time traveller.

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1. John Scot Barrowman was born on March 11, 1967, in Glasgow, Scotland. His mum worked at a record shop and his dad was employed by Caterpillar Inc.

2. The Barrowman family relocated to Aurora, Illinois, when he was eight years old, after his father's job was transferred. As a result, he holds dual British and American citizenship.

3. Before making it big as a television star, he worked at a power plant and once turned down a job with Disney. He says that the Disney representative told him "most of the people who turn us down end up doing something really big - I'm sure we'll see your name in the future".

4. His first paid role as an actor was as an uncredited extra in 1987's The Untouchables. "It was a nightmare because Sean Connery wasnâ€™t very nice and the assistant director shouted a lot and was rude to the extras. I went home early," he recalls.

5. He was considered for the part of Will in Will & Grace but eventually lost the role to Eric McCormack. He explains: "I was of one of quite a few who got down to the last choices, and I was actually told that I wasn't gay enough - even though Eric McCormack is straight. Go figure."

6. He admits to being a "hardcore" collector of movie and sci-fi memorabilia, saying: "I have an original James Bond doll boxed in mint condition from Thunderball. I have all of the Jaws dolls set - Jaws himself, James Bond, the works. I have The Six Million Dollar Man, all of the dolls. All of Charlie's Angels."

7. A lifelong fan of Doctor Who, he confesses to having swiped a couple of props from the show's set. "I have all the bullets that I shot at the Dalek that shot me. And I've had the Dalek...replicated. I had the production team make me one of the ones that shot me. So I have a full-size one. And, I have my original prop gun. I have another original that was hand-made for me by the guy who makes all the props, and it's on a plinth."

8. If he wasn't an actor he thinks that he would have trained as an airline pilot. He says: "That was my dream as a kid and I thought Iâ€™d look good in the outfit. I still love planes. One of the engines my Dad helped design is in the Smithsonian in Washington D.C."

9. A self-confessed practical joker, he once shared his secret for keeping the cast and crew entertained on set: "The alien operators can only see so much through their 'outfits', so I'd moon at them every so often. Captain Jack's butt!"

10. He once had a racehorse named after his Torchwood character. What's next? "I'd think I'd like an airplane named after Jack. Not so much after John Barrowman, because that would be a bit egotistical, but I think the public love Jack so much. The Flying Harkness would be fun, or a Virgin Atlantic plane, maybe."